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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Visualizing Bacteria in Nematodes using Fluorescent Microscopy
Published on: October 19, 2012
Friend and foe: the two faces of Xenorhabdus nematophila
Erin E Herbert1, Heidi Goodrich-Blair
1Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA.
Abstract:
Comparisons of mutualistic and pathogenic relationships are necessary to decipher the common language of microorganism-host interactions, as well as the subtle differences in dialect that distinguish types of symbiosis. One avenue towards making such comparisons is to study a single organism that speaks both dialects, such as the gamma-proteobacterium Xenorhabdus nematophila. X. nematophila inhabits and influences the lives of two host animals, helping one to reproduce optimally while killing the other.
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